#academicfreedom — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/people/227743/ Orbán urges resistance against Hungary’s ‘enemies’ in fiery speech #AcademicFreedom #BYD #China #Colonialism #confrontation #corruption #EU #EU’sSecurity #FideszParty #fraud #Hungary #investigations #JudicialIndependence #KötcseiMeeting #MediaFreedom #MinorityRights #pariah #PeterMagyar #PeterSzijjarto #resistance #RuleOfLaw #TiszaParty #ViktorOrbán #VladimirPutin

The release didn’t name the schools, but a #US official … said they include #Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [ #MIT ] & #JohnsHopkins University.

…Sarah Spreitzer, VP at the American Council on #Education, which represents #college & #university presidents, raised concerns that the announcement suggests, without any evidence, that the #schools are engaged in wrongdoing.

#Trump #law #education #AcademicFreedom #AcademicPartnerships #China

Police remove top researchers from ADA (diabetes conference) for passing out anti-Trump journal article. More in comments

Read Full Article

#DiabetesResearch #AcademicFreedom #ScienceNews https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/05/well/ada-conference-diabetes-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Reenviado desde Science News
(https://t.me/experienciainterdimensional/11103)

Philosophers Honored for Stance on Open Discourse

Clemson University philosophy faculty received the 'Courageous Colleague' award for defending free speech and open dialogue on campus.

#ClemsonUniversity, #FreeSpeech, #AcademicFreedom, #Philosophy, #CourageousColleague

https://newsletter.tf/clemson-philosophers-win-award-for-free-speech/

Clemson University's philosophy department has been honored with the 'Courageous Colleague' award, recognizing their strong stance on defending free speech principles.

#ClemsonUniversity, #FreeSpeech, #AcademicFreedom, #Philosophy, #CourageousColleague
https://newsletter.tf/clemson-philosophers-win-award-for-free-speech/

A quotation from Henry Commager

We do not need to fear ideas, but the censorship of ideas. We do not need to fear criticism, but the silencing of criticism. We do not need to fear excitement or agitation in the academic community, but timidity and apathy. We do not need to fear resistance to political leaders, but unquestioning acquiescence in whatever policies those leaders adopt.

Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1965-12-18), “The Problem of Dissent,” Saturday Review

More about this quote: wist.info/commager-henry-steel…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #commager #henrycommager #acquiescence #agitation #apathy #censorship #criticism #dissent #intellectualfreedom #resistance #silencing #timidity #academicfreedom

That effort has included restricting travel from 19 nations; pushing #schools to limit the number of #InternationalStudents; temporarily pausing #StudentVisa screening interviews while the government revamped procedures to include tougher #socialmedia rules; & canceling #visas for students accused of “crimes”, overstaying their visa or participating in pro-Palestinian #HumanRights #protests.

#Trump #law #immigration #AcademicFreedom #education #HigherEducation #BrainDrain

Update. #Vanderbilt has not yet accepted or rejected the Trump compact. But Chancellor Daniel Diermeier just released a vague and inconclusive open letter on where it stands.
https://t.e2ma.net/message/tu4xiq/5vxmu1ke

"Last Friday, Vanderbilt participated in a discussion with members of the administration and other university leaders about shaping a productive process for providing such comments. We expect to share our input with the administration through that process. Our response will be grounded in our long-held principles and values…Vanderbilt believes deeply in the power of constructive dialogue."

The letter is undated (why?) but the Chronicle reports that it was made public on Oct 20.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/compact-live-updates-more-colleges-weigh-responses-as-deadline-for-feedback-looms

#Academia #AcademicFreedom #AcademicMastodon #Censorship #DefendResearch #Funding #Trump #TrumpVResearch #Universities #USPol #USPolitics

#MarcoRubio gave #Harvard a one-week deadline to produce a lengthy list of #university records related to the #StudentVisa program. He said the department plans to interview university staff associated with the program & also may want to speak with #visa holders.

A Harvard spokesman did not immediately comment. A #State Department spokeswoman declined to comment.

#Trump #law #Constitution #FreeSpeech #AcademicFreedom #RevengePolitics #MafiaState #Dictatorship #Autocracy #Tyranny

#Texas just gutted #FreeSpeech on #college #campuses. Is your state next?

New laws in the Lone Star State will silence dissent and undermine #faculty authority.

By Laura Benitez and Jonathan Friedman
July 14, 2025

"As thousands of students return to college campuses this fall, they will find themselves stepping into an environment reshaped by political and ideological mandates. Across the country, state legislators have been racing to exert new influence over free expression in higher education. Now, Texas has surged to the forefront, closing its 2025 legislative session by passing two alarming laws that take effect Sept. 1.

"Signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in June, the new laws amount to a stunningly aggressive legislative crackdown on campus protest (#SB2972) and academic shared governance (#SB37) at public colleges and universities. The laws will not just silence dissent and undermine faculty authority in Texas; they provide a blueprint for how to dismantle academic freedom and chill speech on campus state by state.

"Only a few years ago, conservative lawmakers railed against college 'free-speech zones,' arguing that liberal administrators were muzzling students on the rest of campus. In 2019, Texas legislators joined other states in taking action by declaring all outdoor spaces on public campuses open for protest and speech by students, employees and the general public.

"Now, some of the same legislators have done an about-face. The campus protest law actually directs public colleges and universities to implement a version of free-speech zones and adopt sweeping limitations on protests. #Encampments? Banned. #Megaphones or #speakers during 'class hours'? Forbidden — if anyone claims your 'expressive activity' is one that 'intimidates others' or 'interferes' with an employee’s duties. Even wearing a mask during a protest — something many do for safety — could land a student or employee a disciplinary hearing resulting in 'sanctions.' And any expressive activity between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. is off-limits altogether."

Read more:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/07/14/texas-campus-free-speech/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/2LuBD

#TexasProtestLaws #ProtestLaws #ProtestLawsTexas #Project2025 #AntiProtestLaws #Authoritarianism #SilencingFreeSpeech #Censorship #AcademicFreedom #AntiMaskLaws #Fascism #USPol #CivilLiberties #Texas

The filing *appeared* to try to correct an obvious violation of the #law when it abruptly announced revocation of #Harvard’s #SEVP certification w/o proper process.
But the 30-day delay does little to address the core questions in the case.
The #Trump admin has sought extensive documentation from Harvard, requesting, among other things, coursework for EVERY international student & information on any #StudentVisa holder involved in misconduct or *illegal* activity.

#immigration #AcademicFreedom

In a letter that day, Noem accused #Harvard of refusing to comply w/wide-ranging requests for information on its #StudentVisa holders…. [Though she cited no law or regulation that the university had violated]

Harvard, the nation's oldest & wealthiest #university, enrolled nearly 6,800 #InternationalStudents in its current school year, ~27% of its total enrollment.

#Trump #law #immigration #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #RevengePolitics #idiocracy #BrainDrain

#Trump admin halts scheduling of ALL new #StudentVisa appointments

Trump ordered US #missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student & #exchange visitor #visa applicants as the #State Dept prepares to expand #socialmedia vetting of all #ForeignStudents, acc/to an internal cable seen by Reuters on Tues.

#law #AbuseOfPower #immigration #surveillance #Constitution #AcademicFreedom #dictatorship #tyranny #authoritarianism #AmericanAutocracy
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-halts-scheduling-new-student-visa-appointments-2025-05-27/

Despite the “unprecedented nature & scope” of the demands, calling for information on each #StudentVisa holder, about 7,000 #students across #Harvard’s 13 schools, within 10 business days, Harvard had submitted the required information on April 30, the lawsuit said, & also complied with a follow-up request.

#Trump #InternationalStudents #law #immigration #FirstAmendment #AcademicFreedom #ExecutiveOverreach #AbuseOfPower

#Harvard professors sue #Trump administration over funding cut threats

by Katie Cole, April 14, 2025, #WBUR

"The Harvard chapter of the American Association of University Professors sued the Trump administration Friday over what they call an 'unlawful and unprecedented' attempt to use federal funding cuts to restrict #FreeSpeech.

"The #DepartmentOfEducation announced in late March that it would review $8.7 billion in federal grants and contacts given to Harvard, alleging that the school failed to prevent #antisemitic discrimination on campus.

"The Trump administration then unveiled a broad set of demands on April 4 the university must agree to in order to keep getting federal funding, including cutting all diversity, equity and inclusion programming, and modifying any programming and departments that 'fuel antisemitic harassment.' The administration gave Columbia University a similar set of demands in March, which the school agreed to.

"The lawsuit by the professors' group, filed in #Massachusetts federal court, alleges that the administration's federal funding review violates the #TitleVI of the #CivilRightsAct, which prohibits discrimination in programs that receive federal funds. The court filing says the law requires specific procedures to cut federal funds and that the Trump administration has not taken any of those steps.

"The group said in a press release that the administration's actions are in effort to create a chilling effect among universities and faculty to stop speech that the president does not like.

" 'Eliminating discrimination and protecting all students is important,' said Nikolas Bowie, a Harvard law professor and the secretary-treasurer of the school's #AAUP chapter, in a statement. 'But Trump is defying the Civil Rights Act, terrifying students, and illegally holding hostage grants for hospitals and scientific research so he can accomplish his real goal of punishing academics for our politics.'

"The lawsuit says that the actions by the administration have 'already caused severe and irreparable harm by halting #academic #research and #inquiry at Harvard.'

"This is the second suit that the Harvard AAUP chapter has filed against the Trump administration this year. The first was a joint suit with other chapters, including one from Columbia, over federal efforts to deport #MahmoudKhalil and students that engaged in #ProPalestinian #activism."

https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/04/14/harvard-aaup-trump-funding-cuts-lawsuit

#SilencingDissent #CharacteristicsOfFascism #Fascism #Authoritarian #Authoritarianism #BibiIsAWarCriminal #FreeMahmoudKhalil #FreePalestine #AcademicFreedom #FreeSpeech #TrumpIsABully #DEI #Erasure #Censorship

#Trump demands unprecedented control at #ColumbiaUniversity, alarming scholars and speech groups

By COLLIN BINKLEY and JAKE OFFENHARTZ
Updated 7:52 PM EDT, March 14, 2025

NEW YORK (AP) — "The Trump administration brushed aside decades of precedent when it ordered Columbia University to oust the leadership of an academic department, a demand seen as a direct attack on academic freedom and a warning of what’s to come for other colleges facing federal scrutiny.

"Federal officials told the university it must immediately place its #MiddleEasternStudies, #SouthAsianStudies, and #AfricanStudies Department under 'academic receivership for a minimum of five years.' The demand was among several described as conditions for receiving federal funding, including $400 million already pulled over allegations of #antisemitism.

"Across #academia, it was seen as a stunning intrusion.

"'It’s an escalation of a kind that is unheard of,' said Joan Scott, a historian and member of the academic freedom committee of the American Association of University Professors [#AAUP]. 'Even during the #McCarthy period in the United States, this was not done.'"

https://apnews.com/article/columbia-university-mahmoud-khalil-ice-arrests-1921e26f6b5a8585ad5cbda790846324
#CharacteristicsOfFascism #USPol #Censorship #DumbingUsDown #Authoritarianism #SilencingDissent #AcademicFreedom #Fascism

#ColumbiaUniversity Bent Over Backward to Appease #RightWing, #ProIsrael Attacks — And #Trump Still Cut #FederalFunding

Instead of #outrage, the school’s interim president responded to the cuts by vowing to continue its misguided crackdown.

by Natasha Lennard, March 8 2025

"Columbia University could hardly have been more draconian in the last year and a half since students began speaking out against Israel’s assault on #Gaza.
In early November 2023, four months before the Columbia #GazaSolidarity encampment even began, the university banned its chapters of #StudentsForJusticeInPalestine and #JewishVoiceForPeace. A few hundred students from the groups had had the audacity to walk out from classes and hold a “die-in” protest on campus — some of the most widely celebrated nonviolent protest tactics available.

"The crackdown was just getting started.

Since then, the university has ordered police raids on campus three times, leading to the arrests of over 100 students. Last week, the school expelled four students, three from #BarnardCollege one from Columbia. Many dozens of students have faced discipline and suspensions for participating in pro-Palestine protests and speech.

"Professors have been slandered before Congress, censured, removed from positions, and reportedly pushed into retirement over their support for Palestine and criticism of Israel. The campus has been essentially locked down for almost a year.

"Again and again, Columbia has shown a willingness to throw #students, #faculty, #FreeSpeech, and academic freedom under the bus in acquiescence to a #RightWing, #ProIsrael narrative that treats support for Palestinians as an affront to Jewish safety.

"For all Columbia’s #appeasement, President Donald Trump’s Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced last week that it would cancel $400 million in #FederalGrants and contracts to the university.

"'Columbia has worked overtime to appease,' wrote Layla, a student at Columbia’s School of Social Work, who asked to withhold her last name having faced doxxing attacks and harassment from Zionist groups. 'Students are miserable. Campus is a #panopticon. And their funding was still cut.'

"The Trump administration can be expected to use its perverted conception of antisemitism to further its explicit plans to decimate, #corporatize, and #ReWhiten #HigherEducation. The shame here lies with university leaderships — at Columbia and schools nationwide — that have failed to stand up for their purported missions of #CriticalThinking and #AcademicFreedom. Instead, they have put some of their most vulnerable community members, particularly international students and students of color, at risk.

"There is no appeasing a political force like the #TrumpianRight, intent on a program of destruction. And there is no appeasing a nationalist #Zionist worldview that, defying reason, sees #antisemitism in every call for #Palestinian freedom. Columbia is proof of the failure of caving in; the administration has offered up a platter of repression for more than a year and is still slated to lose $400 million."

Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2025/03/08/columbia-trump-funding-gaza-israel/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/jrNva
#Fascism #Appeasement #FreePalestine #Gaza #RightToProtest #Censorship #Fascism #ICE #ACAB #Authoritarianism #USPol #FreeSpeech

Intelligence Bureau at Ashoka University, Wants to Probe ‘Democratic Backsliding’ Paper

IB officials arrived Monday to speak to former faculty member Sabyasachi Das, and unsuccessfully tried to speak to others from the economics department after learning he was not on campus. A second visit was then set for Tuesday.

#AshokaUniversity #IntelligenceBureau #SabyasachiDas #BJP #ElectoralFraud #2019elections #democracy #AcademicFreedom #FreeSpeech #research #hindutva #india

https://thewire.in/education/intelligence-bureau-at-ashoka-university-wants-to-probe-democratic-backsliding-paper

Re: Scott Aaronson • Will UT Austin and Texas A&M Survive Beyond This Week?
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243

My Comment —
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243#comment-1949554

As far as the tenure system goes, a little bit of history regurgitated will bring its rationale into focus.

History of the AAUP —

❝In 1900 when noted economist Edward Ross lost his job at Stanford University because Mrs. Leland Stanford didn't like his views on immigrant labor and railroad monopolies, other professors were watching. The incident stuck in the mind of Arthur O. Lovejoy, philosopher at Johns Hopkins. When he and John Dewey organized a meeting in 1915 to form an organization to ensure academic freedom for faculty members, the AAUP was born. “Academic Freedom” was a new idea then.❞

• https://web.archive.org/web/20121221091245/http://www.aaup.org/about/history-aaup

Without a tenure system there is no academic freedom, and without academic freedom universities as organs of free inquiry will simply wither and die.

#ScottAaronson #LargeLanguageModels #GPT
#AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #Tenure

Re: Scott Aaronson • Will UT Austin and Texas A&M Survive Beyond This Week?
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243

My Comment —
• https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=7243#comment-1949542

Alas, my friends, read the writing on the wall —

“Money, Money, Techno Upstartin”

Why should society invest in universities, anyway? Why should individuals devote the great measure of their lives and fortunes to acquiring the discipline and joining the calling of responsible research, teaching, and service when that whole apparatus of laborious training can be replaced by a chatbot simulating the conduct of a human being, in particular, an Average Indolent fifth-grader who copies all his book reports off Wikipedia?

No, no, mes amis, the job you lose to a bot will sooner or later be your own.

#ScottAaronson #LargeLanguageModels #GPT
#AcademicFreedom #HigherEducation #Tenure